Embattled speaker Nasheed accuses MDP of trying 'weaken' AG

Parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed said on Tuesday that the ruling coalition's main party MDP wants to expedite the vote on the no-confidence motion against Attorney General (AG) Ibrahim Riffath and weaken the AG.

Nasheed made the remarks in a message sent to MDP's Whatsapp group after a press conference was held to announce the party's decision to file a no-confidence motion to remove him as speaker.

Nasheed, who still serves as MDP president despite attempts to form a new party, said in the message that he would rarely see the kind of "strangeness" that has happened in the country's parliament.

He said that instead of trying to "save" the AG from the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition, MDP was trying to expedite the vote on the motion.

Nasheed said that if a vote of no-confidence against the AG is taken up, MDP will win the vote narrowly. That is why he believes that the party is trying to weaken the AG.

The no-confidence motion against Riffath was not taken up in Monday’s sitting and the matter was tabled on the agenda for Tuesday’s session as well, but the speaker decided to adjourn the motion on Tuesday following a complaint filed by the opposition PPM alleging that Riffath had encroached upon the privileges of the parliament.

While pro-government lawmakers have expressed displeasure over the manner in which Nasheed is handling the case, party members say more than 50 MPs have so far signed the motion to remove him from the post of speaker.